Klay Thompson scores 34 in Warriors’ win over Knicks

Updated 9:33 pm, Sunday, January 31, 2016

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson shoots as New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson shoots as New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry passes over New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry passes over New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson goes up for a layup unopposed in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson goes up for a layup unopposed in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks is called for a foul on Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks is called for a foul on Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors takes a shot as Robin Lopez of the New York Knicks defends at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors takes a shot as Robin Lopez of the New York Knicks defends at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights defends as New York Knicks center Robin Lopez tries to tip the ball in the net in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. less

Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights defends as New York Knicks center Robin Lopez tries to tip the ball in the net in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, ... more

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Shaun Livingston of the Golden State Warriors dunks in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Shaun Livingston of the Golden State Warriors dunks in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City.

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Derrick Williams of the New York Knicks is called for a foul as he reaches for the loose ball at the same time as Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City. less

Derrick Williams of the New York Knicks is called for a foul as he reaches for the loose ball at the same time as Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New ... more

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks is called for an offensive foul as he heads for the net with Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors defending at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New York City. less

Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks is called for an offensive foul as he heads for the net with Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors defending at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2016 in New ... more

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry defends New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony who tries to pass around Curry in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. less

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry defends New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony who tries to pass around Curry in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, ... more

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. The Warriors defeated the Knicks 116-95. less

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, Jan. 31, ... more

Photo: Kathy Willens, Associated Press

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Klay Thompson scores 34 in Warriors’ win over Knicks

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NEW YORK — The Warriors have gotten so good that they can romp to victories even on nights when Stephen Curry doesn’t make his usual MVP impact.

The Warriors rolled past New York 116-95 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden for their seventh straight win, including the past three when Curry wasn’t quite himself.

Curry is averaging 16.7 points on 18-for-47 shooting from the floor (38.3 percent) and 11-for-29 shooting from three-point range (37.9 percent) in his past three games. During the same span, Klay Thompson is averaging 37 points per game.

“Klay was terrific, and that’s the advantage we have with our backcourt,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “If one guy is not shooting well, usually the other guy is. It’s very rare they both have poor shooting nights.

“Steph wasn’t on tonight, but Klay picked it up. He was brilliant.”

Thompson had 34 points against the Knicks, making 14 of 18 shots from the floor, including 5 of 6 three-point attempts, in 32 minutes.

The Warriors (44-4) are two games into a three-game road set that will end in Washington and include a trip to the White House. They return home for games against Oklahoma City and Houston — their only home dates in February.

The Knicks (23-27) got 24 points and 10 rebounds from Carmelo Anthony and 14 points and six rebounds from rookie Kristaps Porzingis. It wasn’t nearly enough on a night when the Warriors shot 57.5 percent and dished out at least 30 assists for the seventh straight game.

Curry, who had a nasty cut above his right eye from an Anthony hand check, had 13 points on a 5-for-17 shooting night — a far cry a 54-point outburst at Madison Square Garden three years ago that made him a known commodity in the basketball world. Shaun Livingston scored 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting off the bench.

“We’re a deep team,” Curry said. “It’s no secret. That’s been the story for the past two years. You don’t get to 44-4 without that. I hope to not shoot like that consistently, but we have a lot of different weapons, and we have great chemistry. Whether one guy is playing well or not, we usually have somebody picking him up.”

A night after blaming himself for the Warriors having to squeak out a victory over seven-win Philadelphia, Draymond Green was nearly perfect in recording his league-leading ninth triple-double. He had 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting, with 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 37 minutes.

“That’s how you (record a triple-double). It comes within the flow of the game, within the flow of the offense,” said Green, who was pressing to get assists Saturday to complete a triple-double. “That’s how all of them have been, but when you start doing what I did yesterday, it doesn’t work out. I was kind of happy I didn’t get it yesterday, because I didn’t deserve it. I’ve never been a numbers guy, but for some reason yesterday, I just wanted to do it.

“That’s not who I am, so I’m happy I didn’t get it yesterday.”

The Warriors scored a season-low 18 points in the first quarter, causing Kerr to break and then throw a clipboard. They responded by hitting 14 of 17 second-quarter shots — a single-quarter, season-best 82.4 percent, to take a 55-49 lead.

Thompson scored seven straight Warriors points to give his squad a 64-50 lead with 8:36 remaining in the third. He scored 12 third-quarter points and sent the Warriors into the fourth quarter leading 82-65.

Four reserves and Harrison Barnes extended the Warriors’ lead to 22 points early in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t sustain it. The Knicks had trimmed their deficit to 89-76 when Kerr re-inserted Green and Thompson with 7:42 left.

“It’s special,” Curry said of Thompson’s three-game run. “He’s finding his rhythm, being very aggressive, and he’s also making plays — not just shooting the ball, but also finding guys when he’s double-teamed or curling. He’s obviously making shots, and it’s fun to watch.”

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